Willow Mellark: My Story
by MissBooklover
Summary: Willow Mellark, 13 years old and the daughter of the Mockingjay lived happily, well that was until she met Hare and went to the Capitol. Join Willow, Lola and Hare on a story of discovery and friendship.
1. Hare

"Hey Willow, look." My best friend Lola says while pointing to a new kid talking to Mrs Axeton (our home room and History teacher) about what class will be like and the rules of District 12 Year Prep to 12 School.

"New classmate by the sounds," I reply

"Well duh, I'm pointing him out because he's thinks he's cute, genius." Lola says

"Give it a rest Lol, you and I both know that our parents would kill us if we started dating." I retaliate "Anyway if you even want to meet him act cool and hope Mrs Axeton chooses us to show him around." We sit at our desks doing work until our teacher decides to introduce the new kid who's tall with dark hair and grey eyes.

"All right class settle down, let me introduce you to Hare Ash Hawthorn, he just moved here from District 2, Lola, Willow, show him around and make he has someone to hang out with ok?"

"Yes Mrs Axeton" I say. We go back to our work letting Hare sit next to us "Hi" I say to him

"Hey I'm named after a sort rabbit look alike thing and my dad has killed people before" He replies, I'm taken aback but he smiles, "Relax, my dad fought in the war, he had no choice, and I love name speaking of which what are your full names?"

"I'm Lola Flame Reet" Lola says

"And I'm Willow Ember Mellark" I say nervously, most people think that being the daughter of Katniss and Peeta Mellark I'm supposed to be some sort of skilled genius and then they go ahead and judge me when I say can't paint and/or hate hunting.

"Alright class keep be quite," Mrs Axedale says

"We'll take at recess" Hare whispers and we go back to our work.

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The bell goes and we walk out of class with our food,

"There are the boys toilets," Lol says as we show Hare around the school

"So Willow, your parents must be Katniss and Peeta right?" Hare says

"Yes and before you ask I hate hunting and can't paint" I snap

"Okay, no need to get snappy and besides I understand I'm the son of Gale Hawthorn who was best friends with Katniss Everdeen now Mellark back in the day so I have to hunt and make snares blah, blah, blah." He says. What? I think I didn't know mum had a best friend when she was young, why didn't she or dad tell me? I've been told about The Hunger Games and the war but not about a best friend, why?

"And Lola your parents must be Johanna and Lark Reet" Hare says

"Yeah, I suppose all our parents are war victims, eh" my best friend points out

"Um, yeah. And I suppose we were all named after three stages fire too" Hare realises

"What?" Gee that girl can be a ditz sometimes.

"Lola, your middle name is flame, what fire first is when it's lighted. My middle name is Ember, like what's there when a fire starts to die down and Hare's middle name is Ash, what's left of fire when it's completely burned out." I say

"Oh cool" She giggles and tried to pretend she's not embarrassed.


	2. Gale and The Exchange

The rest of the school goes smoothly and Hare turns out to be a pretty clever and funny guy. At the end of the day Mum comes to pick Rye and I up and when we get home I ask if we can go hunting together, I can tell she's happy about this, Mum always planned on me being the new hunter of the Mellark of the family but when I didn't want to, she said she was okay with that but I knew by her tone of voice that she was disappointed. She happily agrees having no idea what I plan on doing, as we walk to the weak spot in the fence, mum brings up a conversation.

"How was school today Will?" She asks, good I can tell her about Hare.

"Good" mum lifts up the wire for me to slip through, "There was a new boy arrived today, Lol and I are friends with him."

"What was is name?" Oh gosh, I can tell mum's scared about something and I suddenly don't want to talk about Hare and Gale Hawthorn but answer her anyway.

"Hare."

"Hare who Will?"

"Ummm. Hare Hawthorn, kid's tall, grey eyes and dark hair. His dad's called Gale Hawthorn, apparently you and him were friends as kids." I blurt, we arrive at a place I've never been before where blackberries are wild and you can see District 12 easily. "Mum, how come you've told me about the games and rebellion but you haven't told me about a friend."

"Because Gale was a murderer."

"Uh yeah, weren't you too?" I'm getting annoyed the woman is being so vague

"Willow, he killed your Aunt Prim, she never died like how Dad's family did, Gale designed the bomb that killed Prim just before the rebellion stopped." She explained

"You're not expecting me to end my friendship with Hare are you?" I say through gritted teeth, I know she went through a lot but at times like this she's just got to forget the past and stay strong for her daughter.

"No." She suddenly stops speaking when Hare jumps out of a tree

"Boo." He says, I give a light laugh; nothing scares me, well except for Dad when he has his 'moments' but who wouldn't?

"Hey, what are you doing here, I thought you hated hunting." I accuse

"Dad dragged me along speaking of which, enter Gale Hawthorn." Seeing Hare's dad jump from a tree does for once scare me, mostly because a massive man just practically fell from a tree and partially because he killed my Aunt.

"Catnip." The man says, mum tells me to go home with her, scared most likely, but I refuse, I want to hang out with my new friend so she goes home.

"Hi! So you must be Hare's dad." I introduce myself trying to forget about what mum just did.

"Yes I am and you must be Katniss's daughter." He cringes as if admitting mum had a daughter.

"Yep, my dad's Peeta Mellark, who's your wife?" These questions are getting personal but I have to know who Hare's mum is.

"Delly. Delly Hawthorn." He says

"Cool" I reply and pluck some blackberries off the bush and throw them at Hare, the idiot catches them in his mouth outsmarting me, we continue playing this game until I hear Haymitch stumble through the forest calling my name, probably looking for me.

"Hey can Hare come over to my place for a bit?" I ask Gale,

"Maybe on the weekend and then Lola can come over too if your parents are okay with it." He replies, I nod and then wait for Haymitch to find me.

"You're staying with the Reets for the night, your bag's packed and already there. Rye's at a friend's house for the night." Haymitch tells me, not even bothering to say hi, "And what are _you _doing here?" He asks Gale.

"I've moved here for work, I'm a journalist for the _Panem Paper _and was asked if I could do articles for D12 and agreed." He says.

"Just don't go near Katniss or her family, c'mon Willow." He warns. We trudge through the forest and Haymitch starts talking.

"Why didn't you follow your mother home?" Great. Another lecture.

"Because she was overreacting. She saw her best friend who designed a bomb that killed her sister. How was Gale going to know that Prim would tend to the kids?"

"And?"

"And his son, Hare, started school here today and him, Lola and I instantly became friends, so I played a game with him."

"Does Katniss know about this?"

"Yes."

"How does she feel?"

"Dunno, but based on how she reacted on seeing Gale again, probably not that great."

"I'll talk to her about it, she and Peeta need to stop sheltering you."

"Thank you." I tell him full of relief "Could you um, mention something about Hare coming over for a bit or me going to Hare's with Lol?"

"Sure little Will." He replies. As we get to Lola's house, by the meadow, I run to the door and knock.

"Hey Little Jay, come in." Aunt Jo greets me with the usual nickname

"Thanks Axey, sorry about Mum, she got worked up over nothing; she saw Gale again and _freaked_." I say.

"It was nothing, us victors get like that sometimes. Your suitcase is on Lola's bottom bunk along with your schoolbag, books and homework, which I suggest you do now because _The Tales of Effie Trinket_ is on at eight o'clock meaning you only have two hours to do homework and have dinner." She tells me.

"Awesome, bye Haymitch!" I say and run off to Lola's Capitol themed bedroom and slide under her silver bunk bed hoping to get a good scare out of her. I hear her entering the room and let out a low growl as if some sort of monster is under her bed.

"Oh hi Willow, what's up?" Lola says, sits on a gold cushion and starts her history homework; I come out from under the bed in defeat and do the same.

"Yo Will who were three people who played major parts in leading the rebellion but died, what parts did they play and how did they die?" Lol asks

"Ummm. Well there was Zeron Boggs who was often in charge of some of the major things the Mockingjay did, lead the Star Squad and I think he was kind of like a father to Mum and he had his legs blown off while accidentally stepping on a bomb and died of blood loss. There was also Finnick Odair, Finn's dad, who helped Mum mentally and was someone she could talk to while dad was being tortured and he too was a soldier and was in the Star Squad, he died when mutts ripped his head off." I explain.

"Ewww what a horrible way to go." Lola comments.

"And there was President Coin the previous leader of District 13 and Mum killed her." I finish, after about an hour I get bored and take out my phone.

"Lol do you know what Hare's phone number is?"

"How am I supposed to know? Search it." She answers obviously uninterested.

"Okay, cool. Hold on." I search it in the District 12 phone number app. "Here it is, I'm _Face 2 Facing_ him now." I wait for him to answer.

"Hi Willow, what are you up to?" He says.

"Hey, just doing homework with Lol, you?"

"Still with dad in the same spot we were in a hour ago."

"Why?"

"Because I'm being lectured on how I should choose friends after I find out about a bit about them, I'm talking to you after I said I needed to pee. Anyway gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Lola, Willow, dinner!" Uncle Lark calls from downstairs

"Coming!" We reply. We trot downstairs to the smell of roasted rabbit, potatoes, peas and honey carrots. We sit down and help ourselves, mum and dad's cooking is great and everything but it's a fact in our weird little family no one can cook a roast as good as Uncle Lark.

"I heard you guys made a friend today." Uncle Larks says.

"Yeah, Hare. Aunt Katniss is either scared of his dad, hates him or both, Mum told me . But Hare himself is funny, smart and pretty cool." Lola replies,

"Yeah Lola also had a crush on him at the start of the day too." I comment getting kicked under the table by Lola and a scolding from her.

"Shut up Willow, I said he looked cute nothing more and besides, now that we're friends it'd be gross to go out with him."

"You better not." Aunt Jo says.

"Hey girls did you know that there's a student exchange program in the Capitol this year." Uncle Lark says changing the subject.

"No, but it sounds fun. Do you know how many clothes shops there are there with _all _the latest fashion trends? Being the design district has its perks you know." I gush.

Jo and Lark gawk at me as if I just admitted I killed someone. Oh I forgot no one in my family besides Lol knows about my obsession with fashion and design. That's just one of the reasons why mum and I are so different, both my parents assumed I'd be my mother's daughter but turned out to be a mini Aunt Effie with a better education and love of books. I'm proud to be the designer of the family even if barely anyone knew before just then.

"Yeah, the architecture is beautiful there too. Heeeeeey we could stay with Aunt Effie and drag Hare along." Lol says thoughtfully.

"I don't think he'd like living with house of girls for two months." I point out.

"How about we get students of the Capitol School to let you stay at their house." I think that's how most exchange programs work Uncle Lark says logically. "Anyway don't get your hopes up you have to apply for the chance and then the schools choose 3 who ever they think will be best at representing our District."

"Dad I know we're gonna get in. Will's Aunt Katniss is the Mockingjay and her dad helped start, help and finish the Rebellion. I'm her best friend whose mother is the Johanna Mason and Hare's dad was the Mockingjay's best friend. Of course we'll go. We are the children of war heroes." Lola explains showing her cocky side. My aunt and uncle smile, amused at their daughter's hope, which I know they didn't have enough of when they were young. We finish eating and watch what Aunt Jo describes as 'Scripted rubbish that Effie only does for the money.' Fair enough, it's addictive rubbish like Saturday night chick flicks. Effie is rich enough to live in luxury, like huge house, beautifully decorated rooms and owns a maid and chef sort of rich. We then go to bed thinking about what tomorrow brings.


End file.
